Watch Judge Cannone's hearing on Thursday – NBC Boston

Watch a live stream from Norfolk Superior Court in the story above. The feed will be muted while the judge and attorneys discuss matters that are not public.

With Karen Read's trial now expected to open in just a few days, the judge overseeing the proceedings is expected to hear arguments and potentially rule on several outstanding motions that could affect the course of the closely scrutinized prosecution.

Attorneys were scheduled to return to Norfolk Superior Court for a hearing at 10 a.m. Thursday. There are several outstanding questions that Judge Beverly Cannone has not yet decided, including whether the entire trial should be moved to a smaller courtroom.

“The court will likely rule on some of these before the trial is expected to begin Monday, but others will be brought in for consultation,” said Michael Coyne, legal analyst for NBC10 Boston.

Read is accused of fatally striking her boyfriend John O'Keefe, a former Boston police officer, with her SUV after a night out in Canton, although she has long maintained she was innocent and that authorities had covered up who O'Keefe really was killed.

Jury selection ended Wednesday after a five-day trial. According to the defense, nineteen jurors were selected from hundreds of respondents, and the group is reduced to 16: 12 jurors and four alternates. The jury has yet to be sworn in.

The number of jurors fluctuated throughout the five days of jury selection, with some being allowed to drop out due to difficulties.

Cannone said she was willing to move the trial to a different courtroom at Norfolk Superior Court after Read's lawyers argued that poor sight lines in the current jury box violated her client's constitutional right to confront witnesses in person.

“In order to deal with the matter without further delay or additional distraction, I will consider moving the trial across the courtroom to Courtroom 25,” she said, noting that trials have been held in that room for over 100 years .

However, she pointed out that the other room was smaller and that “the only people that can really fit in this courtroom are the press, the victim's family and the defendant's family.”

Although there was no jury selection process Friday, Read's attorneys were still focused on the jurors — particularly the location of the jury box. Follow NBC10 Boston on… Instagram: instagram.com/nbc10boston TikTok: tiktok.com/@nbc10boston Facebook: facebook.com/NBC10Boston X: twitter.com/NBC10Boston

Read's lawyers had presented images of defense attorney David Yannetti on the witness stand and claimed that at least six jurors would only see the backs of the witnesses' heads.

Also on Wednesday, files in the dispute over the court-ordered buffer zone in front of the courtroom were due. Supporters of Karen Read have appealed to the Supreme Court against a ruling that requires protesters to stay at least 200 feet (60 meters) away from the courthouse and prevent people inside the courthouse from holding signs or wearing pro-Karen Read clothing.

The attorney who filed the petition argues that the order violates the First Amendment.

You now represent 19 jurors in the Karen Read trial. Normally only 16 people are required, but there is concern that high-profile cases could result in dropouts. Follow NBC10 Boston on… Instagram: instagram.com/nbc10boston TikTok: tiktok.com/@nbc10boston Facebook: facebook.com/NBC10Boston X: twitter.com/NBC10Boston

Before jury selection began last week, Cannone announced that she would not preclude the defense from using third-party defense during the trial.

The prosecution had filed a motion seeking to prevent the defense from making such an argument.

“I will give you the chance to develop it further based on relevant, competent and admissible evidence,” she said. “But you can’t open with it.”

As Karen Read's murder trial began, Judge Beverly Cannone read a summary of the case to potential jurors before jury selection – and addressed the intense public interest in the case that has sparked protests outside.

Read is accused of killing O'Keefe in January 2022. Prosecutors say she hit him with her SUV and left him in a snowstorm, but her lawyers say she is being accused of doing so as part of a massive cover-up. The defense claims O'Keefe was attacked inside the house.

Cannone has said she expects the Read trial to take about six to eight weeks once a jury is seated. She said the schedule will include full days on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and half days on Tuesdays and Thursdays.